Comments on: Character Lightbulbs!

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Thu, 19 May 2011 00:19:00 +0000

Aimee – wow, that’s cool! I’m doing a Donald Maas! Maybe I’m on the right track then. 🙂

By: Aimee Carson

Aimee Carson — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:23:39 +0000

Yes, EXACTLY that. It reminds me of a quote I have hanging on my office wall, one I copied from Donald Mass’s book. It has to do with ‘finding the universal in the particular.’ And I think this is exactly what he was referring to. Great post, Jackie!

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:10:16 +0000

Caroline - funny you should say that because that's exactly what an ed said to me once!

Rach- thanks m'dear! Yes, I think so too.

Ju - yes, that's exactly my problem too. Too many conflict strands and it becomes difficult to figure out how your character should react in a certain situation. But yes, identifying the problem is the first step. The solution will come. :-)

By: Ju Dimello

Ju Dimello — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:18:05 +0000

I bow to your awesome analysis Jax!

I think this is also the reason why we must keep the conflict singular and straightforward, with H/h actions and reactions reflecting the same. If more than a single conflict I think we'll be left wondering - as to..if a particular reaction is because of the situation, or conflict 1, or conflict 2..etc !

This was what I got as a lightbulb after reading your post...which in turn - is a problem area on the current novella :( aaargh.. don't they say that identifying the problem is the first step to the solution..

So.. I hope the solution also comes in lightning flash ;)

By: Rachael Johns

Rachael Johns — Tue, 17 May 2011 12:15:16 +0000

I’m exhausted and about to switch off for the night but had to comment on this post because it was awesome. I really think it’s the little things like this that make a strong, unforgettable book 🙂

By: Caroline

Caroline — Tue, 17 May 2011 07:58:19 +0000

Duh! That should have been “psychotherapist” of course! Caroline x

By: Caroline

Caroline — Tue, 17 May 2011 07:54:39 +0000

Great post jackie thanks for sharing! Lightbulb moments are to be treasured IMHO. Unfortunately for me they don't happen often enough - lol!

The more I do of this writing lark, the more I feel we need to be pysiotherapists rather than writers. ;o) Caroline x

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Tue, 17 May 2011 04:10:05 +0000

Lacey – Thanks! It’s a tough one eh? I’ve come to recognise that if I haven’t introduced the conflict element in a couple of sentences then it means I actually don’t know I’m trying to say. Which usually indicates I haven’t nailed down the conflict yet. So when that happens, I stop writing and go away and think about it. 🙂

By: Lacey Devlin

Lacey Devlin — Tue, 17 May 2011 02:46:31 +0000

Another great post, Jackie =) I’ve also been guilty of introducing conflict and not really capturing what I wanted to get across to the reader.

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:02:07 +0000

Julia – that’s awesome! And yes, you’re absolutely right. Her reaction is pretty much the key to the scene. Because how that reaction is received will determine how she acts in the future. For example, if she decides to confront her parents and they continue to lie, she might decide that confrontation never gets her the truth (if this happens more than once). Or two, if confronting her parents gets them to admit the truth, she might then decide that confronting a lie is the only way to get the truth. Yay for the breakthrough huh?

Kerrin – For me it depends on the moment. If it’s vital for the reader to understand the character’s motivation, then I reckon you include the snapshot. If it’s not so vital and your word count is already huge maybe not so much. I actually included a snapshot moment that isn’t vital in one of my chapters but the CPs particularly liked it, because they identified with it themselves and it revealed more about the heroine. It’s a judgement call in other words. 🙂